Hebraic Literature (1901) Reader

Three things proceed by pre-eminence from God Himself: — Famine, plenty, and a wise ruler. Famine (2 Kings viii. 2): " The Lord hath called for a famine; plenty (Ezek. xxxvi. 29): " I will call for corn and increase it; a wise ruler; for it is written (Exod. xxxi. 2), " I have called by name Bezaleel." Rabbi Yitzchak says, "A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community be first consulted. God first consulted Moses, then Moses consulted the nation concerning the appointment of Bezaleel."

It is related of Rabbi Shimon, the son of Gamaliel, that at the rejoicing during the festival of the drawing of water on the Feast of Tabernacles, he threw eight flaming torches, one after the other in quick succession, into the air, and caught them again as they descended without suffering one to touch another. He also (in fulfillment of Ps. cii. 14) stooped and kissed the stone floor, supporting himself upon his two thumbs only, — a feat which no one else could perform. And this is what is termed stooping properly.

there, each having four golden bowls on the top, four ladders reaching to them, and four of the young priests with cruses of oil ready to supply them, each cruse holding one hundred and twenty logs of oil. The lamp-wicks were made of the worn-out drawers and girdles of the priests. There was not a court in all Jerusalem that was not lit up by the illumination of the " water-drawing. Holy men, and men of dignity, with flaming torches in their hands, danced before the people, rehearsing songs and singing praises.

The Levites, with harps, lutes, cymbals, trumpets, and innumerable musical instruments, were stationed on the fifteen steps which led from the ante-court of Israel to the women's court; the Levites stood upon the steps and played and sang. Two priests stood at the upper gate which led from the ante-court for Israel to that for the women, each provided with a trumpet, and as soon as the cock crew they blew one simple blast, then a compound or fragmentary one, and then a modulated or shouting blast.

This was the preconcerted signal for the drawing of the water. As soon as they reached the tenth step, they blew again three blasts as before. When they came to the antecourt for women, they blew another three blasts, and after that they continued blowing till they came to the east gate. When they arrived at the east gate, they turned their faces westward (z. e., toward the Temple), and said, "Our fathers, who were in this place, turned their backs toward the Temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the East, for they worshiped the sun in the East; but we turn our eyes to God! Rabbi Yehudah says, " These words were repeated, echoing, (We are for God, and unto God are our eyes directed I*

The sons of Esau, of Ishmael, and of Keturah went on purpose to dispute the burial (of Jacob); but when they saw that Joseph had placed his crown upon the coffin, they did the same with theirs. There were thirty-six crowns in all, tradition says. " And they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation.0 Even the very horses and asses joined in it, we are told. On arriving at the Cave of Machpelah, Esau once more protested, and said, "Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, are all buried here. Jacob disposed of his share when he buried Leah in it, and the remaining one belongs to me." "But thou didst sell thy share with thy birthright, w remonstrated the sons of Jacob. "Nay," rejoined Esau, "that did not include my

The house which opens not to the poor will open to the physician. The birds of the air despise a miser. Hospitality is an expression of Divine worship. Thy friend has a friend, and thy friend's friend has a friend; be discreet.

Do not place a blemish on thine own flesh. Attend no auctions if thou hast no money. Rather skin a carcass for pay, in the public streets, than lie idly dependent on charity. Deal with those who are fortunate.

What is intended for thy neighbor will never be thine. The weakness of thy walls invites the burglar. The place honors not the man, 'tis the man who gives honor to the place. The humblest man is ruler in his own house.

If the fox is king bow before him. If a word spoken in its time is worth one piece of money, silence in its time is worth two. Tobias committed the sins and his neighbor received the punishment.

" I told thee that it was not my place to serve the food, nevertheless when thou didst insist I did the best I could, and I think I have succeeded. Thyself, thy wife, and one pigeon make three; thy two sons and one pigeon make three; thy two daughters and one pigeon make three; and myself and two pigeons make three also, therefore is it fairly done. As regards the chicken, I gave to thee and thy wife the head, because ye are the heads of the family; I gave to each of thy sons a leg, because they are the pillars of the family, preserving always the family name; I gave to each of thy daughters a wing, because in the natural course of events they will marry, take wing, and fly away from the home-nest.

I took the body of the chicken because it looks like a ship, and in a ship I came here and in a ship I hope to return. I am the son of the merchant who died in thy house; give me the property of my dead father. "

"The man with two wives, one young and the other old." Rav Ami and Rav Assi were in social converse with Rabbi Isaac Naphcha, when one of them said to him, wTell us, sir, some pretty legend, and the other said, " Pray explain to us rather some nice point of law. When he began the legend he displeased the one, and when he proceeded to explain a point of law, he offended the other. Whereupon he took up this parable in illustration of the plight in which their obstinacy placed him. " I am like the man with the two wives, the one young and the other old.

The young one plucked out all his gray hairs (that he might look young), and the old wife pulled out all his black hairs (that he might look old); and so between the one and the other he became bald. So is it with me between you. However, I've something nice for both of you. It is written (Exod. xxii. 6), (If a fire break out and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field be consumed therewith, he that kindled the fire shall surely make restoration. y The Holy One — blessed be He! — hath said, (I must both judge myself and take upon myself to indemnify the evil of the conflagration I have caused, for I have kindled a fire in Zion,* as it is written (Lament, iv. 11), ( He hath kindled a fire in Zion, and hath devoured the foundations

Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri says: — " The Holy One — blessed be He! — took Shem and separated him to be a priest to Himself, that he might serve before Him. He also caused His Shechinah to rest with him, and called his name Melchizedek, priest of the Most High and king of Salem. His brother Japheth even studied the law in his school, until Abraham came and also learned the law in the school of Shem, where God Himself instructed Abraham, so that all else he had learned from the lips of man was forgotten. Then came Abraham and prayed to God that His Shechinah might ever rest in the house of Shem, which also was promised to him; as it is said (Ps. ex. 4), ( Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. }

Mount Sinai had five names: — (1.) Wilderness of Zin, because on it the Israelites were commanded to observe the law; (2.) Wilderness of Kadesh, because on it the Israelites were consecrated to receive the law; (3.) Wilderness of Kedemoth, because precedence was there given to Israel over all other nations; (4.) Wilderness of Paran, because there the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied; (5.) Wilderness of Sinai, because from it enmity came to be cherished to the Gentiles. It was denominated Horeb according to Rabbi Abhu, because from it came down destruction to the Gentiles.

The ten tribes will never be restored, for it is said (Deut. xxiii. 28), God cast them into another land, as it is this day." As this day passes away without return, so also they have passed away never more to return. So says Rabbi Akiva, but Rabbi Eleazar says, ( As it is this day implies that, as the day darkens and lightens up again, so the ten tribes now in darkness shall in the future be restored to light. The Rabbis have thus taught that the ten tribes will have no portion in the world to come; for it is said (Deut. xxix. 28), "And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation.8 And he rooted them out of their land,8 that is, from this world, c<and cast them into another land,8 that is, the world to come. So says Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Shimon ben

9. God will not change or alter His law forever. He will never change the law of Moses our Rabbi — peace be unto him! The law will suffer no addition or diminution (but it will abide even), as the prophet Malachi sealed it with the seal of the prophets in ending his words (Mai. iv. 4), " Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel. Formerly the law was in a garment of light, but in consequence of sin, the law became materialized in a garment of skin, in the same proportion as man became materialized in a body of flesh. In the future, after the redemption, however, the law will have the garment of light restored, and the Messiah will preach the law in terrible mysteries,

Poverty sits as gracefully upon some people as a red saddle upon a white horse. Drain not the waters of thy well while other people may desire them. The doctor who prescribes gratuitously gives a worthless prescription. The rose grows among thorns.

The wine belongs to the master but the waiter receives the thanks. He who mixes with unclean things becomes unclean himself; he whose associations are pure becomes more holy with each day. No man is impatient with his creditors. Make but one sale, and thou art called a merchant.

Mention not a blemish which is thy own, in detraction of thy neighbor. If certain goods sell not in one city, try another place. He who reads the letter should execute the message. A vessel used for holy purposes should not be put to uses less sacred.

Ornament thyself first, then magnify others. Two pieces of coin in one bag make more noise than a hundred. Man sees the mote in his neighbor's eye, but knows not of the beam in his own.

A young man, upon his journeys through the country, fell in with a young woman, and they became mutually attached. When the young man was obliged to leave the neighborhood of the damsel's residence, they met to say " good-by. 8 During the parting they pledged a mutual faith, and each promised to wait until, in the course of time, they might be able to marry. "Who will be the witness of our betrothal? • said the young man.

Just then they saw a weasel run past them and disappear in the wood. "See," he continued, "this weasel and this well of water by which we are standing shall be the witnesses of our betrothal; and so they parted. Years passed, the maiden remained true, but the youth married. A son was born to him, and grew up the delight of his parents.

One day while the child was playing he became tired, and lying upon the ground fell asleep. A weasel bit him in the neck, and he bled to death. The parents were consumed with grief by this calamity, and it was not until another son was given them that they forgot their sorrow. But when this second child was able to walk alone it wandered without the house, and bending over the well, looking at its shadow in the water, lost its balance and was drowned.

Then the father recollected his perjured vow, and his witnesses, the weasel and the well. He told his wife of the circumstance, and she agreed to a divorce. He then sought the maiden to whom he had promised marriage, and found her still awaiting his return. He told her how, through God's agency, he had been punished for his wrongdoing, after which they married and lived in peace.

* These six of barley gave he me. What does this mean? It cannot surely be understood of six barleycorns, for it could not be the custom of Boaz to give a present of six grains of barley. It must, therefore, have been six measures.

But was it usual for a woman to carry such a load as six measures would come to? What he intended by the number six was to give her a hint that in process of time six sons would proceed from her, each of which would be blessed with six blessings; and these were David, the Messiah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. David, as it is written (1 Sam. xvi. 8), (r.) "Cunning in playing,* (2.) "and a mighty and valiant man," (3.) " a man of war," (4.) "prudent in matters, " (5.) " a comely person," (6.) and " the Lord is with him."

The Messiah, for it is written (Isa. xi. 2), " And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him," viz, (1.) " The spirit of wisdom and (2.) understanding, (3.) the spirit of counsel and (4.) might, (5.) the spirit of knowledge, and (6.) the fear of the Lord." Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, for regarding them it is written (Dan. i. 4), (1.) "Young men in whom was no blemish," (2.) "handsome in looks," (3.) "intelligent in wisdom," (4.) "acquainted with knowledge," (5.) "and understanding science, and such as (6.) had ability to stand in the palace of the king," etc. But what is the meaning of unblemished?

The following extract states the occasion when the wearing of phylacteries was prescribed as an equivalent that would be accepted instead of the observance of the law: — " Rabbi Eliezer said the Israelites complained before God one day, ( We are anxious to be occupied day and night in the law, but we have not the necessary leisured Then the Holy One — blessed be He! — said to them, Perform the commandment of the phylacteries, and I will count it as if you were occupied day and night in the law. ' ( Yalhut Shimeoni.) Phylacteries, fringes, and Mezuzah, these three preserve one from sin; as it is said (Eccl. iv. 2)," A threefold cord is not quickly broken; as also in Ps. xxxiv. 7, " The angel of the Lord encampeth about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." Ibid.% fol. 43, col. 2.

Rabbi Achiya, the son of Abah, said, "I sojourned once in Ludik, and was entertained by a certain wealthy man on the Sabbath day. The table was spread with a sumptuous repast, and the dishes were of silver and gold. Before making a blessing over the meal the master of the house said, ( Unto the Lord belongeth the earth, with all that it contains.' After the blessing he said, ( The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth hath He given to the children of men.* I said to my host, ( I trust you will excuse me, my dear sir, if I take the liberty of asking you how you have merited this prosperity? ' He answered, { 1 was formerly a butcher, and I always selected the finest cattle to be killed for the Sabbath, in order that the people might have the best meat on that day. To this, I believe firmly, I owe my prosperity. I replied, ( Blessed be the Lord, that He hath given thee all this. '

The rivalry of scholars advances science. If thou tellest thy secret to three persons, ten know of it. When love is intense both find room enough upon one board of the bench; afterward they may find themselves cramped in a space of sixty cubits. When wine enters the head the secret flies out.

When a liar speaks the truth he finds his punishment in the general disbelief. Sorrow for those who disappear never to be found. The officer of the king is also a recipient of honors. He who studies cannot follow a commercial life; neither can the merchant devote his time to study.

There is no occasion to light thy lamp at noontide. If thy friends agree in calling thee an ass, go and get a halter around thee. At the gate of abundance there are many brothers and friends; at the gate of misery there is neither brother nor friend. The consciousness of God's presence is the first principle of religion.

A man's home means his wife. He who divorces his wife is hated before God. If thy wife is small, bend down to take her counsel.

It is said that the king of Egypt appointed him as one of his staff of physicians. The enlightened men of the kingdom were divided into seven grades, each grade occupying a corresponding position near the throne of the king on state occasions. The monarch considered Maimonides so much superior to the others that he made for him a special position. This, Moses, a modest man, declined. The other physicians, however, were jealous of his high standing, and being unable to injure him openly, they endeavored to accomplish his ruin in a secret manner.

At the time when Nimrod the wicked had cast our Father Abraham into the fiery furnace, Gabriel stood forth in the presence of the Holy One — blessed be He! — and said, " Lord of the universe, let me, I pray thee, go down and cool the furnace, and deliver that righteous one from it.* Then the Holy One — blessed be He! — said unto him, " I am One in my world and he is one in his world; it is more becoming that He who is one should deliver him who is one."

But as God does not withhold His reward from any creature, He said to Gabriel, " For this thy good intention, be thine the honor of rescuing three of his descendants. At the time when Nebuchadnezzar the wicked cast Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the fiery furnace, Yourkami, the prince of hail, arose before God and said, " Lord of the universe, let me, I pray thee, go down and cool the fiery furnace, and rescue these righteous men from its fury.w Whereupon Gabriel interposed, and said,

Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Yonathan traveled one day together; they came to two roads, one of which led by the door of a place devoted to the worship of idols, and the other by a place of ill fame. Upon which one said to the other, " Let us go by the former, because our inclination to the evil that waylays us there is already extinguished." • Nay, rather, said the other, "let us go by the latter, and curb our desires; so shall we receive a reward in recompense." In this resolution they went on, and as they passed the place the women humbled themselves before them and withdrew ashamed into their chambers. Then Yochanan asked the other, " How didst thou know that this would occur to us? He made answer, " From what is written (in Prov. ii. 2), Discretion (in the law) shall preserve thee.)W

The question may naturally be asked why Abraham hid his wife from the gaze of others first then and not before. The reply is to be deduced from the following double rendering of Gen. xii. 1 1: — " Behold now I know that thou art a fair woman. " As if to say, "Usually people lose their good looks on a long journey, but thou art as beautiful as ever." The second explanation is this: — Abraham was so piously modest that in all his life he never once looked a female in the face, his own wife not excepted.

As he approached Egypt and was crossing some water, he saw in it the reflection of her face, and it was then that he exclaimed, " Behold now I know that thou art a fair woman. " As the Egyptians are swarthy, Abraham at once perceived the magnitude of the danger, and hence his precaution to hide her beauty in a chest.

Five things happened to our forefathers on the 17th of Tammuz, and five on the 9th of Ab. On the 17th of Tammuz (1.) the tables of the covenant were broken; (2.) the daily sacrifice was done away with; (3.) the city walls were cleft asunder; (4.) Apostumes burned the roll of the law; (5.) and set up an idol in the temple. On the 9th of Ab (1.) the decree was uttered that our ancestors should not enter the land of Canaan; both the (2.) first and the (3.) second Temple were destroyed; (4.) Byther was subjugated and (5.) the city was plowed up

A man should study less on Friday, that he may occupy himself with the preparation for the Sabbath. And accordingly we find in the Gemara that some of the great and esteemed sages occupied themselves on that day in preparing what was needed for the Sabbath. Therefore, though one may have many servants to wait upon him, it is a great merit personally to prepare for the wants of the Sabbath in order thus to honor it; and let him not think it derogatory to his own honor to honor the Sabbath thus, for it is his honor to honor the Sabbath.

It is written of H'A'ree of blessed memory, that he was in the habit of sweeping away the cobwebs in his house (in honor of the Sabbath), and it is well known to the initiated what a wonderful mystery it is to abolish the unclean spirits from the house, " And this is enough for him that understands.*

Prayer is Israel's only weapon, a weapon inherited from his fathers, a weapon tried in a thousand battles. When the righteous die, they live; for their example lives. Let the fruit pray for the welfare of the leaf. Meat without salt is fit only for the dogs.

Trust not thyself until the day of thy death. Woe to the country which hath lost its leader; woe to the ship when its captain is no more. He who increaseth his flesh but multiplieth food for the worms. The day is short, the labor great, and the workman slothful.

Be yielding to thy superior; be affable toward the young; be friendly with all mankind. Silence is the fence round wisdom. Without law, civilization perishes. Every man will surely have his hour.

Rather be the tail among lions than the head among foxes. Into the well which supplies thee with water cast no stones. Many a colt's skin is fashioned to the saddle which its mother bears.

Moses asked for three days for consideration, which the king granted. During this time he prepared a certain mixture, and instructed his pupils to have it ready and apply it according to his directions, when he should be brought home senseless. He then appeared before the king, and desired to have his veins opened. The vital artery was missed, as he had anticipated, and the result was as he had foreseen. After his recovery, he fled from Egypt, taking refuge in a cave, where he wrote his Yad Hazakah (the " Strong Handw), consisting of fourteen divisions, typified by the word Yad. which also means fourteen.

" He caused the lame to mount on the back of the blind, and judged them both as one." Antoninus said to the Rabbi, " Body and soul might each plead right of acquittal at the day of judgment. " How so?w he asked. " The body might plead that it was the soul that had sinned, and urge, saying, (See, since the departure of the soul I have lain in the grave as still as a stone.* And the soul might plead, ( It was the body that sinned, for since the day I left it, I have flitted about in the air as innocent as a bird.*" To which the Rabbi replied and said, "Whereunto this thing is like, I will tell thee in a parable.

It is like unto a king who had an orchard with some fine young fig trees planted in it. He set two gardeners to take care of them, of whom one was lame and the other blind. One day the lame one said to the blind,

Rabbi Yochanan, in the name of Yossi, the son. of Zimra, asks, " What is this that is written (Ps. cxx. 3), ( What shall be given unto thee, or what shall be added unto thee, O thou false tongue? The Holy One — blessed be He! — said to the tongue, " All the members of the body are erect, thou only art recumbent; all other members are without, thou art within, and not only so, for I have surrounded thee with two walls, one of bone and the other of flesh. What shall be given to thee, or what shall be added unto thee, O thou false tongue?" Rabbi Yochanan, in the name of Yossi, says, He who slanders is an atheist, for it is written (Ps. xii. 4), ( Who have said, With our tongues will we prevail; our lips are with us; who is lord over us?>w

and Rabbi Yehoshua, "He is a Ben Haniddah," but Rabbi Akiva contended, "He is both a Mamzer and a Ben Haniddah." Upon which the Elders said to Rabbi Akiva, " How darest thou be so bold as dispute the assertion of thy masters? " Because I can substantiate what I say," was his answer. He then went to the mother of the lad, and found her selling pease in the market place. " Daughter, " said he to her, " if thou wilt answer all that I ask of thee, I will ensure thee a portion in the life to come."

She replied, " Let me have thy oath and I will do so." Then taking the oath with his lips but nullifying it in his heart, he asked her, " What sort of a son is thy lad? " She replied, " When I entered my bridal chamber I was a Niddah, and consequently my husband kept away from me." Thus it was found out that the boy was a Mamzer and a Ben Haniddah; upon which the sages exclaimed, " Great is Rabbi Akiva, for he has overcome his masters; • and as they congratulated him they said, " Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath revealed His secret unto Akiva the son of Joseph."

Thus did the Rabbi forswear himself, and thus did his companions compliment him on the success of his perjury; yet the Bible says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Exod. xx. 7), and " Keep thou far from a falsehood" (Exod. xxiii. 7).

When Abraham came to the cave of Machpelah to bury Sarah, Adam and Eve rose from their grave and protested against his committing her to the dust in that receptacle. "For,* said they, "we are ever ashamed in the presence of the Holy One — blessed be He! — on account of the sin which we committed, and now comest thou to add to our shame by the contrast therewith of the good works which ye two have done." On Abraham's assurance that he would intercede with God on their behalf that they should not bear the shame any longer, Adam immediately retired to his sepulchre, but Eve being still unwilling to do so, Abraham took her by the hand and led her back to the side of Adam; and then he buried Sarah Yalkut Chadash, fol. 14, col. 3, sec. 68.

" And they also transgressed my covenant, which I have commanded them; and they also have taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and have also put it among their own stuff (Josh. vii. 11). Rav Illaa says, in the name of Rav Yehudah ben Mispartha, the fivefold repetition of the particle also shows that Achan had trespassed against all the five books of Moses. The same Rabbi further adds that Achan had obliterated the sign of the covenant, for it is said in relation to him, " And they have also transgressed my covenant; • and with reference to circumcision, " He hath broken my covenant. 8

The number of high priests who officiated in succession during the 410 years of the continuance of the first Temple was only eighteen, but the number who held office during the 420 years of the second Temple amounted to more than three hundred, most of them having died within a year after their entrance upon the office. The reason assigned by the Talmud for the long lives of the former and the short lives of the latter is the text given in Prov. x. 27," The fear of the Lord prolongeth days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

append the story of the feat. As Rabbi Yoshua's earthly career drew to a close, the angel of death was instructed to wait upon him, and at the same time show all respect for his wishes. The Rabbi, remarking the courteous demeanor of his visitant, requested him, before he despatched him, to favor him with a glimpse of the place he was to occupy in paradise above, and meantime commit to him his sword, as a gage that he would grant his petition and not take advantage of him on the journey.

This request being granted and the sword delivered up, the Rabbi and his attendant took the road, pacing along till they halted together just outside the gates of the celestial city. Here the angel assisted the Rabbi to climb the wall, and proceeded to point out the place he would occupy some day in the future, when deftly throwing himself over, he left the angel standing outside and holding him fast by the skirt of his garment.

When pressed to return, he swore he would not go back, protesting that, as he had never sought to be relieved of the obligation of his oath on earth, he would not be cajoled or coerced into an act of perjury within the precincts of heaven. He declined at first to give up the sword of the angel, and would have stood to his point but for the echo of a voice which peremptorily ordered its immediate restoration. (See Kethuboth, fol. 77, col. 2.)

" Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken and forgotten me (Isa. xlix. 14). The community of Israel once pleaded thus with the Holy One — blessed be He! — "Even a man who marries a second wife still bears in mind the services of the first, but Thou, Lord, hast forgotten me." The Holy One — blessed be He! — replied, "Daughter, I have created twelve constellations in the firmament, and for each constellation I have created thirty armies, and for each army thirty legions, each legion containing thirty divisions, each division thirty cohorts, each cohort having thirty camps, and in each camp hang suspended 365,000 myriads of stars, as many thousands of myriads as there are days in the year; all these have I created for thy sake, and yet thou sayest, ( Thou hast forsaken and forgotten me! } Can a woman forget her sucking-child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."

There was once a man named Joseph, who was renowned for honoring the Sabbath-day. He had a rich neighbor, a Gentile, whose property a certain fortune-teller had said would eventually revert to Joseph the Sabbatarian. To frustrate this prediction the Gentile disposed of his property, and with the proceeds of the sale he purchased a rare and costly jewel which he fixed to his turban. On crossing a bridge a gust of wind blew his turban into the river and a fish swallowed it. This fish being caught, was brought on a Friday to market, and, as luck would have it, it was bought by Joseph in honor of the coming Sabbath. When the fish was cut up the jewel was found, and this Joseph sold for thirteen purses of gold denarii. When his neighbor met him, he acknowledged that he who despised

then asked them who they were? " Disciples of Rabbi Akiva,w they replied. Upon hearing this the robbers exclaimed, " Blessed surely is Rabbi Akiva and his disciples too, for no man can ever do them any harm." Once as Rabbi Menasi was traveling to Thurtha (in Babylonia), some thieves surprised him on the road and asked him where he was bound for. " For Pumbeditha, was the reply; but upon reaching Thurtha, he stayed and went no farther.

The highwaymen, thus balked, retorted, "Thou art the disciple of Yehuda the deceiver! }> " Oh, you know my master, do you? said the Rabbi. " Then in the name of God be every one of you anathematized. For twentytwo years thereafter the}' carried on their nefarious trade, but all their attempts at violence ended only in disappointment. Then all save one of them came to the Rabbi and craved his pardon, which was immediately granted.

The one who did not come to confess his guilt and obtain absolution was a weaver, and he was eventually devoured by a lion. Hence the proverbs, " If a weaver does not humble himself, he shortens his life; and, " Come and see the difference there is between the thieves of Babylon and the banditti of the land of Israel.

In the context of the foregoing quotation occurs an anecdote of Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah which is too racy to let pass, and too characteristic to need note or comment. One day Elisha ben Abuyah was privileged to pry into Paradise, where he saw the recording angel Metatron on a seat registering the merits of the holy of Israel. Struck with astonishment at the sight, he exclaimed, " Is it not laid down that there is no sitting in heaven, no shortsightedness or fatigue?* Then Metatron, thus discovered, was ordered out and flogged with sixty lashes from a fiery scourge.

Smarting with pain, the angel asked and obtained leave to cancel the merits of the prying Rabbi. One day — it chanced to be on Yom Kippur and Sabbath — as Elisha was riding along by the wall where the Holy of Holies once stood, he heard a Bath Kol proclaiming, " Return, ye backsliding children, but Acher abide thou in thy sin M (Acher was the Rabbi's nickname). A faithful disciple of his hearing this, and bent on reclaiming and reforming him, jnvited him to go and hear the lads of a school close by repeat their lessons.

The Rabbi went, and from that to another and another, until he had gone the round of a dozen seminaries, in the last of which he called up a lad to repeat a verse who had an impediment in his speech. The verse happened to be Ps. 1. 16, " But unto the wicked, God saith, Why dost thou declare my law?" Acher fancied the boy said, and to Elisha (his own name), instead of and to Rasha, that is, the wicked.

This roused the Rabbi into such fury of passion, that he sprang to his feet, exclaiming, " If I only had a knife at hand I would cut this boy into a dozen pieces, and send a piece to each school I have visited! B

We may here repeat the story of the execution of the eighty women here alluded to, as that is told by Rashi on the preceding page of the Talmud. Once a publican, an Israelite but a sinner, and a great and good man of the same place, having died on the same day, were about to be buried. While the citizens were engaged with the funeral of the latter, the relations of the other crossed their path, bearing the corpse to the sepulchre.

Of a sudden a troop of enemies came upon the scene and caused them all to take to flight, one faithful disciple alone remaining by the bier of his Rabbi. After a while the citizens returned to inter the remains they had so unceremoniously left, but by some mistake they took the wrong bier and buried the publican with honor, in spite of the remonstrance of the disciple, while the relatives of the publican buried the Rabbi ignominiously.

The poor disciple felt inconsolably distressed, and was anxious to know for what sin the great man had been buried with contempt, and for what merit the wicked man had been buried with such honor. His Rabbi then appeared to him in a dream, and said, " Comfort thou thy heart, and come I will show thee the honor I hold in Paradise, and I will also show thee that man in Gehenna, the hinge of the door of which even now creaks in his ears.* But because once on a time I listened to contemptuous talk about the Rabbis and did not check it, I have suffered an ignoble burial, while the publican enjoyed the honor that was intended for me because he once distributed gratuitously among the poor of the city a banquet he had prepared for the governor, but of which the governor did not come to partake.* The disciple having asked the Rabbi how long this publican was to be thus severely treated, he replied, " Until the death of Simeon the son of Shetach, who is to take the publican's place in Gehenna. " "Why so?* " Because, though he knows there are several Jewish witches in Askelon, he idly suffers them to ply their infernal trade and does not take any steps to extirpate them."

On the morrow the disciple reported this speech to Simeon the son of Shetach, who at once proceeded to take action against the obnoxious witches. He engaged eighty stalwart young men, and choosing a rainy

Quite apropos to this 'we glean the following from Rashi: — A fox once induced a wolf to enter a Jewish dwelling to help the inmates to get ready the Sabbath meal. No sooner did he enter than the whole household set upon him, and so belabored him with cudgels that he was obliged to flee for his life. For this trick the wolf was indignant at the fox, and sought to kill him, but he pacified him with the remark, " They would not have beaten thee if thy father had not on a former occasion belied confidence, and eaten up the choicest pieces that were set aside for the meal.8 ^What!* rejoined the wolf, "the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and shall the children's teeth be set on edge?w ^Well,® interrupted the fox, " come with me now and I will show thee a place where thou mayest eat and be satisfied. • He thereupon took him to a well, across the top of which rested a transverse axle with a rope coiled round it, to each extremity of which a bucket was attached.

The fox, entering the bucket, which happened to be at the top, soon descended by his own weight to the bottom of the well, and thereby raised the other bucket to the top. On the wolf inquiring at the fox why he had gone down there, he replied, because he knew there was meat and cheese to eat and be satisfied, in proof of which he pointed to a cheese, which happened to be the reflection of the moon on the water. Upon which the wolf inquired, " And how am I to get down

Berachoth, fol. 30, col. 2, and fol. 31, col. 1. A man once laid a wager with another that he would put Hillel out of temper. If he succeeded he was to receive, but if he failed he was to forfeit, four hundred zouzim. It was close upon Sabbath-eve, and Hillel was washing himself, when the man passed by his door, shouting, " Where is Hillel? where is Hillel?

Hillel wrapped his mantle round him and sallied forth to see what the man wanted. " I want to ask thee a question,* was the reply. "Ask on, my son," said Hillel. Whereupon the man said, " I want to know why the Babylonians have such round heads? " A very important question, my son," said Hillel; " the reason is because their midwives are not clever." The man went away, but after an hour he returned, calling out as before, "Where is Hillel? where is Hillel?

Hillel again threw on his mantle and went out, meekly asking, "What now, my son?" "I want to know," said he, " why the people of Tadmor are weak-eyed? " Hillel replied, "This is an important question, my son, and the reason is this, they live in a sandy country." Away went the man, but in another hour's time he returned as before, crying out, " Where is Hillel? where is Hillel? " Out came Hillel again, as gentle as ever, blandly requesting to know what more he wanted. " I have a question to ask," said the man.

"Ask on, my son," said Hillel. "Well, why have the Africans such broad feet?" said he. " Because they live in a marshy land," said Hillel. "I have many more questions to ask," said the man, "but I am afraid that I shall only try thy patience and make thee angry." Hillel, drawing his mantle around him, sat down and bade the man ask all the questions he wished. " Art thou Hillel," said he, "whom they call a prince in Israel?"

"Yes," was the reply. "Well," said the other, " I pray there may not be many more in Israel like thee!" "Why," said Hillel, "how is that?" "Because," said the man, " I have betted four hundred zouzim that I could put thee out of temper, and I have lost them all through thee. " " Be warned for the future, " said

no leisure, said they. " I shall be much surprised, }> said he, "if you die a natural death." Then turning to Rabbi Akiva he said, " Thy death shall be the worst of all. Then folding his arms upon his breast, he exclaimed: "Woe unto my two arms! for they are like two scrolls of the law rolled up, so that their contents are hidden. Had they waited upon me, they might have added much to their knowledge of the law, but now that knowledge will perish with me.

I have in my time learned much and taught much, and yet I have no more diminished the knowledge of my Rabbis by what I have derived from them than the waters of the sea are reduced by a dog lapping them. Over and above this I expounded three hundred,* some allege he said three thousand, " Halachahs with reference to the growing of Egyptian cucumbers, and yet no one except Akiva ben Yoseph has ever proposed a single question to me respecting them.

He and I were walking along the road one day when he asked me to instruct him regarding the cultivation of Egyptian cucumbers. I made but one remark, when the entire field became full of them. Then at his request I made a remark about cutting them, when lo! they all collected themselves together in one spot. Thus Rabbi Eliezer kept on talking, when all of a sudden he fell back and expired. Sanhedrin, fol. i.